


On Coincidences

by Iithril



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Cat - Freeform, Dog - Freeform, First Meetings, Gen, Humor, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27997032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iithril/pseuds/Iithril
Summary: Matt adopts a deaf cat aptly named Hawkeye, which develops a liking for the neighbours living two stories under Matt.It should have stayed this way, until Matt comes back late and finds someone in his apartment.
Relationships: Frank Castle/Matt Murdock
Comments: 28
Kudos: 120
Collections: Daredevil Bingo





	On Coincidences

**Author's Note:**

> I participated in NaNoWrimo with an array of prompts, and this story came out! Don't take it too seriously though, it isn't meant to be. Just some first-encounter-fluff for the holidays! It fits my Daredevil Bingo's prompt _Childhood Friends_.
> 
> I'd like to thank my beta for this story, [Arboreal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arboreal)! Thank you for your swiftness and your support, you're wonderful. 
> 
> And a special thanks to [titC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/titC) for encouraging my Fratt addiction.

"Foggy, is that really what I think it is?"

"What if it is?"

Matt sighed, his hands hovering over the cardboard box. He could hear the tiny febrile heartbeat echo from the cage hidden in the box, almost too fast for him to count. He could hear the claws scratching against the metal, the excited breathing.

"I'm going to kill you," he said very seriously, but his friend only laughed.

"Nah, Matt, you're not. You wanted an animal for a long time and this little guy? He's a survivor. He's been abandoned twice, the lady at the shelter told me. She also told me he could be a bit annoying, but hey, you'll get along perfectly."

Matt finally unwrapped the box, fumbled carefully until he found the cage's door, which he opened before carefully lowering his hands into the cage. He was expecting it, but the soft touch of the fur against his fingertips almost startled him. He had forgotten what it was like, to stroke a cat, how light, warm and _alive_ they were.

"What's his name?" he asked, a grin stretching his lips as he felt the cat's paws on his palm, claws barely hidden. There hadn't been a single meow, but maybe the cat was a bit stressed, with his new environment and new people around him. Nothing a few days of care and love wouldn’t help, right?

Shit. He was in it deep already.

"Yeah, about that, you know this trend of giving superheroes' names to animals because they resemble them?" Foggy's tone was nervous now, and he was seemingly fidgeting with something, his pulse quickening.

"Yeah?"

Could this be that this cat was a little Daredevil? That wasn't a good omen regarding his future behaviour and his self-care tendencies, if he was anything like the real one, but that would be fun.

Foggy's phone suddenly chimed in his pocket, strident enough to Matt's ear that it made him turn his head away in a vain attempt to shield himself from the nuisance. Surprisingly, the cat stayed perfectly still against Matt's hands, sniffing his fingers.

"This little guy's named Hawkeye," Foggy finally mumbled, and Matt snorted at his own arrogance. Of course they would name a cat after one of the Avengers and not him, who was he kidding?

Well, didn't mean he would love him less. He let Hawkeye climb into his hands, his four paws small enough to fit into Matt's joined palms, and brought him to his chest. He was rewarded with a vigorous head-butt under his jaw, the cat's purring making his own throat vibrate.

"And what does Hawkeye look like?"

"Uh, he's white, with spots of grey here and there, and blue eyes."

Matt had no idea if that fit the actual superhero's appearance, but it had to, otherwise why name him like that?

But there was something else Foggy wanted to tell him, Matt could sense it. His friend was still uneasy, hesitating.

"You can say it, you know," Matt gently said, and he smiled when Foggy flinched.

"Stop reading my thoughts, please," Foggy sighed.

"So, what more does this little guy have that makes you nervous?" Matt asked, choosing not to address the telepathy accusation. Body signal interpretation, that's what it was, not telepathy.

"He's, uh, he shares one more thing with the real guy."

"Foggy, I'm not familar with every Avenger's peculiarities, just tell me." His friend's phone chimed again, and Matt made a mental note to ask him to dial the volume down or to change the sound he used for next time. It was horrendous.

To push away the unpleasant echo ringing in his ears, he focused on the cat's purring, which had grown louder after Matt had spoken. Maybe Hawkeye liked the vibrations of his vocal cords?

"He's deaf."

"What?" Matt let out incredulously.

"Oh come on, you're not, you heard what I said!"

"Hawkeye is deaf?"

"Are you talking about the superhero now? Cause yeah, he is. Sign language and Stark's custom-made hearing aid," Foggy explained a bit too fast. _He_ was well familiar with the Avengers.

"And don't make that face at me," Foggy said, because he must have read the suspicion on Matt's face, "it's the lady at the shelter who told me about it, I didn't know."

Ah, there went his theory about Foggy secretly loving the Avengers. Too bad, Matt would have loved to tease him about it.

He only realised at that very moment what Foggy's words truly meant, and all of a sudden it made sense that the cat hadn't moved when he heard Foggy's phone, and why he was leaning against Matt's throat and purring at each word.

"Entirely deaf?" Matt enquired, and he was about to clarify he was talking about the cat, but Foggy seemed to understand anyway.

"Yeah, it's genetic. Apparently blue-eyed white cats are more likely to be deaf? But don't fret, he's perfectly able to move around with his other senses."

Had Foggy just winked at him? Matt wasn't sure, but it sounded like Foggy had winked at him. At least he was joking about Matt's super senses now, that was good progress.

"The lady just told me he had to stay in your apartment, because he can't hear cars and horns, and that you can sign at him or use a light flicked on and off to call him."

Matt's head was still spinning with the implication of having a deaf cat. Not that he didn't love him already, with all the purring and tentative licking Hawkeye had provided him, and Foggy had been right, he wanted an animal. 

But all the ways he could mess it up were twirling in his brain — forgetting to close the door, leaving the window open, losing him somewhere in the streets of Hell's Kitchen. Matt had been deafened for a few days back when he was still in college with Foggy, thanks to a bad case of flu that had stuffed his nose and messed up his hearing, and he had _hated_ it. But he relied heavily on his hearing, so maybe Hawkeye would be fine, he still could see.

"Hawkeye's not blind?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Nah, neither of them. Relax, Matt, it's going to be alright." Foggy gave him a good shoulder pat before turning his attention towards Hawkeye, murmuring sweet nonsense about how cute he was and how blue his eyes were, and even though it was obvious Foggy was going to compliment the cat over and over, it still saddened Matt that Hawkeye wasn't able to hear all those praises.

He'd love him even more to make up for it, he promised himself as he felt the cat yawning and settling into his arms peacefully. It was the least he could do.

~°~

Over the next few weeks, Matt discovered the perks of sharing his apartment with a deaf cat.

First of all, he didn't have to worry about noise when he got up in the morning, nor when he listened to legal documents or Foggy's vocal messages, nor when he stumbled back in the apartment at 3 am after roaming on the roofs and punching bad guys. If Hawkeye was sleeping, there was very little that could startle him awake, except vibrations — Matt learnt that when he slammed his closet closed a bit too hard. He used that to wake the cat up — gentle vibrations around him, patting on the couch (because of course Hawkeye loved the couch) or Matt's blanket (very appreciated on cold days).

Second, purrs were the best lullaby he had heard in years. He let Hawkeye snuggle against him, and the rumbling sound against his chest or his throat, combined with soft and warm fur, gave him the best nights he had had in quite a while. Plus, waking up, stretching, and feeling the cat purr against him? One of the best ways to start a day.

Third, to counterbalance the pure bliss of the last point, Hawkeye was an agent of chaos. Matt didn't know to what extent the superhero was as chaotic, but his feline alter ego? He liked to steal Matt's socks and throw them everywhere in the apartment, chasing after them, wiggling his tail and occasionally attacking Matt's ankles. 

He wasn't very vocal, and meowed mostly when his meal delivery was late, but he knew, god, he _knew_ how to make Matt understand he wanted something. He would jump on him, mess with all the very important legal documents Matt was surrounded by when he worked, rub his tail right under Matt's nose — and the sneezes didn't even startle him.

He also liked to drink directly from the kitchen sink and to parkour his way around the apartment, jumping from the counter to the dinner table, sliding onto the chair, launching himself on the couch, claws out to anchor himself. He hadn't found a way to reach Matt's bed yet, but he had mastered the big jump from the couch to the window sill, and Matt had to admit it was a quite impressive jump. The claw marks on the couch annoyed him a bit, but he could excuse it.

Foggy had offered him a flashlight with a blinking mode — technically, it was supposed to spell SOS, but Matt had learnt the timing of the flashes and Hawkeye had learnt that S meant "come here" and "SO" meant food. 

Matt didn't have any trouble finding him even when the cat was hiding in the apartment, thanks to his enhanced senses, so the fact he couldn't call him never was a hindrance. It also meant Matt could tell him _a lot_ of silly things without being judged, and as he continued to praise Hawkeye, he also made sure to show his affection in ways the cat could understand.

~°~

Hawkeye also loved to stand on the window sill, probably watching everything that was going on outside, and sometimes his heartbeat would pick up, his tail idly swaying. 

One day, out of curiosity, Matt had walked closer to the window and focused on what was happening outside, but apart from two steady heartbeats, one slightly faster than the other, and the noise of boots on the emergency stairs leading outside, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe Hawkeye had taken a liking to those two persons.

Their pattern was quite irregular, Matt noticed after a few weeks. He also deduced they had to live two stories under him, because the sounds of the boots in the stairs always coincided with a door opening and closing in the building. Not that Matt had devoted a long time to listening to the doors' sounds to verify his theory, not at all. It was just... coincidence. He heard a lot of things, might as well do something with it, right?

And if he would take Hawkeye and install him in front of the window when he heard the door opening, followed by the characteristic footsteps, well, it was thanks to coincidence. It made his cat happy, after all.

~°~

On a particularly cold night, Matt came home a bit later than planned. He hadn't thought his surveillance mission would take him so long — he had discovered a gang smuggling weapons, possibly drugs as well, and he wanted to take them down, but he knew he couldn’t do it on his own without a little preparation, at least to ensure all the members were there when he would attack.

Their boss was supposed to pay them a visit, which he did, but their meeting dragged out and Matt didn’t want to leave without knowing the date of their next gathering. He knew Hawkeye was probably sacking the apartment searching for food, showing his indignation, and guilt was lingering at the back of his mind, but lives were at stake, his cat could wait for an hour or two. Matt would probably have to buy more tableware to make up for the damage, but nothing he couldn't do.

He arrived on the rooftop of his building and removed his mask — he wanted a bit of fresh hair on his face, he had rushed to come back as fast as possible and was a bit sweaty. With a sigh, he opened the trapdoor and slid into his apartment, ready to assess the damage caused by an angry and hungry cat.

He was so absorbed by the prospect of being attacked by his cat in retribution, ready to intercept him and apologise with a full bowl of kibbles, that he didn't immediately notice there was someone else in the apartment. That person didn't notice him immediately either, too busy crouching and stroking Hawkeye while the cat devoured his meal.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" Matt asked coldly, his hand ready to reach for his weapon. Had he been followed to his apartment?

He felt the stranger flinch, then rise to his feet.

"Hawkeye sent me an SOS. Is it yours?"

It was a man's voice, rumbling and deep. He didn't sound surprised to see Matt appear from nowhere, nor guilty for breaking in his apartment. And what was that excuse? An SOS? How did he know the cat's name? Was he talking about the Avengers' Hawkeye? The fuck was happening?

"Yeah, it's mine," Matt answered simply, guessing the question was about the cat, before he enquired innocently, his hands still next to his stick, "What do you mean, an SOS? Are you with the Avengers?"

The man scoffed, a short and breathless sound.

"The Avengers?" he rumbled, "Hell no, what would you say that?"

"Didn't you say Hawkeye sent an SOS?" Matt was getting more and more confused with every second, but the stranger just laughed again. If there was something funny going on, Matt had definitely missed the joke.

"Yeah, Hawkeye the cat, not the superhero. Didn't you know his name was Hawkeye?"

"I knew but..." Matt was about to ask _How do you know?_ but he heard noises coming from his front door, claws running on the wooden floor, a dog smell and panting, and the man swore rather loudly.

"Daredevil, no! Come here!"

At this very moment, Matt's brain decided to surrender. There was too much going on, and if it was some sort of prank, then it was a masterful plan. Someone had entered his home at 2 am or so, on the pretext of feeding his cat because he had sent an SOS — did the man talk to animals? — and now he knew his identity? There was no way.

Matt could tell all the lights in the apartment were off. There was only the neon board flickering on the other side of the window, and that was all. He was dressed up like someone who had just gone back from a midnight running session, and yeah, maybe it was a little suspicious that he entered by the roof, but what if he didn't want to make any noise in the stairwell and annoy all his neighbours, huh? Maybe he was just polite, right?

"I'm not–" Matt started, willing to explain at length how he wasn't Daredevil, come on, he was blind, he was a respectable lawyer, he had nothing to do with vigilantes, he was already clumsy enough, as accounted by all those bruises, but his senses finally registered the man wasn't facing him anymore, but rather pinning down the dog that had entered the apartment.

"I know you haven't seen your buddy in a long time, but you calm down, maybe he doesn't remember you," the man said, and if Matt wasn't so flabbergasted he would have identified joy in the man's voice, but he was beyond that point.

"Excuse me," he whispered with a strangled voice, "could you explain to me what's going on?"

"Hey man, you alright? Kinda pale, why don't you sit down?" the stranger exclaimed, his tone now a bit worried.

"Yeah, great idea," Matt said weakly. Nothing made sense anymore.

~°~

Frank was slightly worried for the poor guy, who now looked like a brick wall had fallen right on his face. Tired, pale, dark circles and trembling hands — Frank was far from a specialist, but maybe a good shot of sugar could help. He still waited, holding his dog back until Hawkeye walked to them and started to purr while rubbing his body against Daredevil's. Good, they remembered each other. Frank trusted his dog's training enough to know she wouldn't harm Hawkeye, even though she was very enthusiastic to see him again. He didn't expect his neighbour to own a cat coming from the shelter he worked at, but that was the joy of coincidences.

He walked to the man who had taken his advice and sat down, his head in his hands, and asked as quietly as he could — panic attacks were a thing too, better not overwhelm the guy — if he could search for sugar in his kitchen. Frank would have run back to his own kitchen, but he didn't want to leave Daredevil and Hawkeye alone, not when they were both elated to see each other, thus prone to mischief to celebrate their reunion. Besides, he had already searched in the kitchen to find the cat's kibbles, so he knew where the sugar was stored.

He filled a glass of water and added a handful of sugar, tossing vigorously before putting it in front of the man. He observed him stretch a tentative hand, wrap his fingers around it and take a sip with a wince.

"So what's your name? I think we're neighbours, but I've never seen you around," Frank said, keeping his voice low and his tone light.

"Name's Matt. Wait, you live in the building?"

"Yeah, two stories under you, with Daredevil."

"I'm not– wait a minute, what?"

Was Matt having a stroke? Frank remembered the protocol to follow in case he _was_ having a stroke, but his phone was back at his apartment and he didn't know if Matt had one, so he'd have to run to call an ambulance.

"Daredevil's the bitch that's playing with Hawkeye," Frank explained, pointing at the two animals gently playing together, Daredevil nuzzling at Hawkeye's belly, her docked tail wiggling like crazy.

Apparently that wasn't something he should have said, because Matt's face completely blanked, mouth open and eyes empty, and he almost spilt water on himself, his grip loosening on the glass.

"Right here?" Frank carried on, still pointing. "They knew each other, they were rescued at the same time, spent several months together in the same shelter." Frank didn't mention he was working at the shelter, he didn't want to brag. It was already improbable their respective owners lived in the same building.

"Are you talking about the dog?" Matt asked doubtfully while he put the glass back on the counter.

"Yeah?"

This time, it seemed like Frank did it right, as Matt sighed shakily, and Frank heard him whisper, "Okay, I got this," before he carried on, louder this time, "So Daredevil's your dog, you live two stories under me, you know Hawkeye because you went to the same shelter when you adopted your dog, I got this. That doesn't explain what you were doing in my apartment feeding my cat in the middle of the night."

"I told you, Hawkeye sent an SOS," Frank began, and he hurried to finish before Matt could make another funny face, "with the lamp! I saw it by the window, I thought it was someone's having an emergency, y'know? So I put DD back in my place, kicked your door open, found Hawkeye, famished."

Something must have been really off in Matt's head, because he made the most expressive face of _"I was thinking of something entirely different and now it all makes sense_ ", which in hindsight wasn't that surprising given the quality of Frank's explanations. Matt started to giggle, probably the pressure wearing off, and Frank only intervened to save the glass again. A smile stretched his lips, the sheer relief emanating of Matt's infecting him as well.

~°~

Matt wasn't really proud of himself on this one, but in his defence, your Honour, it had been a long night. He finally managed to stop laughing and wiped a tear off his eye with a content sigh.

"Sorry, long night," he explained for the man, who must now be convinced his upstairs neighbour was crazy. Maybe not so much, if he had kicked a door open to answer an SOS only to find it was called by a hungry cat who had been smart enough to light up the flashlight, knowing part of the signal it emitted meant _food._

"No problem," the stranger — well, not so much a stranger anymore, but Matt didn't know his name — shrugged.

"I'm sorry, what's your name? I don't think you gave it to me." It wasn't too late to ask, and Matt was quite curious.

"Frank."

Uh. Interesting. Now that Matt had calmed down enough to focus on what was happening around him, he could hear DD's heartbeat, and he recognised the pattern he had heard countless times when he was listening at the window with Hawkeye, the heartbeat speeding up at each inhalation. He thought it was a young person with a high heartbeat, not _a dog_.

Frank's heartbeat, on the other hand, was as steady as all those times Matt had listened, and he smelt like his dog, but also like... gunpowder? Yeah, that had to be it. Maybe he worked in security, or in the military. With the boots and the efficiency with which he had taken care of Matt, it wasn't unlikely.

Matt finished his glass, stifling a wince when the taste of sugar exploded on his palate. He knew the intention was to prevent him from fainting, but he would have preferred to eat a sugar cube rather than sweet water. He could feel the half dissolved sugar sliding in his throat, and he didn't like it.

He heard claws rattling on the floor, happy panting and Frank silently laughing, then a _bonk_ , and "Ouch, you good DD?"

It was a bit unsettling to hear his secret identity called out so casually, and he was glad he hadn't started his defence, otherwise it would have been quite delicate to explain. But in a way, it was heartwarming to know dogs were named after him. Although...

"Why Daredevil?" he enquired, trying his best to seem disinterested.

"Ah, we saved a bunch of animals all together and most of them received a superhero name, so we stayed on brand."

Well, there went Matt's ego.

"We?" he asked to distract himself from the pain.

"Uh, yeah, I work at the shelter," Frank said, sounding embarrassed.

"Oh, that's amazing!" Matt exclaimed wholeheartedly, and he heard Frank's heartbeat pick up. Embarrassed, but happy about it. Yeah, he knew the type.

They stayed silent for a few seconds, the grunts and pants of their two pets playing together filling the room, until Frank shifted and did something with his hands, probably shoved them in his pockets given the sound of the fabric.

"I, uh... I'll let you sleep now, must be tired."

~°~

"I, uh... I'll let you sleep now, must be tired," Frank let out, realising it was almost 4 am and he had no idea what kind of job Matt had, but if it had anything to do with the stack of papers on the low table, then the man needed his night.

"Oh, yeah, it's getting late. Thank you for, well, feeding my cat and answering his SOS, that was very generous of you," Matt said with a large smile, and fuck, he was cute. The light in the apartment was a bit shitty, and Frank had avoided switching any of the lamps on, in case Matt was having a panic attack — he had noticed the man hadn't turned on anything when he entered, it had sounded like a good call. Yet, even with a poor light, Frank could see the red curls, the genuine smile, the gratitude, and it felt good.

"Nah, tis nothing," he shrugged.

Better go now before he trampled on the man's privacy and sleep time even more.

"I'll come fix your lock tomorrow, if you're around?" he couldn't help but ask, remembering he had busted the door open.

"I'm home by 7 most of the time, just knock and I'll open," Matt answered immediately, and this time he was fully grinning.

Frank nodded and whistled for Daredevil to come back to him, which she did reluctantly, her eyes begging him to let her play with her childhood friend. He gave her a good pat to reward her for coming, whispering, "Good girl. You'll see Hawkeye tomorrow, don't worry." Speaking of the devil, the cat walked to them and gave DD a last head-butt before heading to Matt and jumping on his lap.

Frank waved at Matt as he headed out, and the man waved back after a second. Maybe he wouldn't hold a grudge against Frank for barging into his apartment like that. If he was to believe his grin, then no grudge in sight. Maybe something more interesting than a grudge.

He followed DD as she happily trotted back to their apartment, and sighed as he closed the door. Time to sleep, now, he also had a job and there would be many more animals waiting for him tomorrow, and many more bad guys waiting for him in the evening. With a little time for Matt and his lock in the middle, of course.

~°~

Matt slid under his blanket with a content sigh, Hawkeye nestled against him. If he was right, Frank and DD were the ones his cat observed every time they headed out together by the emergency stairwell. Apart from the fact DD was a longtime friend, which explained part of the interest, Matt hoped his cat had good taste in men, because he really wanted to know more about Frank, his job at the shelter, his short nights and his smell of gunpowder. He would ask more tomorrow. He had all the time, they were neighbours.

Morpheus interrupted his thoughts and took him away, his cat purring in the crook of his neck, both satisfied with their day.

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you have a moment and enjoyed your reading, feel free let me know your thoughts in the comments! Thank you~


End file.
